WSJ unveils details of 2022 Russia-Ukraine peace treaty that could save so many lives

The 2022 draft peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine stipulated that Kyiv could seek membership in the European Union, but ruled out its entry into NATO.

The 17-page document said that Ukraine would not be allowed to join military alliances such as the North Atlantic Alliance, and no foreign weapons would be allowed into the country, The Wall Street Journal said.

According to the draft agreement dated from April 15, 2022, the Ukrainian army was supposed to be reduced to a certain size. The Russian side also insisted that the Russian language be used on an equal basis with Ukrainian at government agencies and courts, but Kyiv did not sign that particular clause of the agreement.

In addition, the document enshrined Russia's sovereignty for Crimea and excluded a neutral status for the peninsula.

The 2022 agreement did not contain clauses on the regions, which later became part of Russia. Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky were supposed to discuss that issue during negotiations, but they did not take place.

Other countries, including the United States, Great Britain, China, France and Russia, were supposed to ensure the implementation of the peace treaty. These countries were supposed to defend Ukraine's neutrality in case of violation of the treaty.

It is worthy of note that Russian Ambassador in London Andrei Kelin said that former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thwarted all achievements in the negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine in the spring of 2022. According to him, Johnson arrived at the negotiations "with a blessing from Washington,” and the document, which had already been initialed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation David Arakhamia "was thrown into the trash.”